Apna Pind ( Temporarily Operating from Mississauga Sweets & Catering) — Restaurant in Mississauga

Let me dive into the core of the matter here; the food! You will not get Canadianized versions of Indian dishes here. I appreciate them respecting the authenticity of north Indian dishes with no-nonsense of dousing most of the dishes with heavy creams or sugars and making the dishes bland. Rather, relying on delivering taste and quality via traditional cooking techniques, fresh ingredients and spices. There are certain dishes that are based on cream/malai, and those dishes do justice here. Taste is subjective. Therefore, take my review "with a grain of Salt"; decide for yourself and "do not sit on a bench-mark of taste" until you try this place (Puns intended).

Tried several dishes and they are rated individually from 1 star as worst to 5 as best rating: Paneer Malai Tikka platter * Veg Manchurian balls dry * Lehsuni Daal tadka * Paneer Tikka Masala ** Butter Chicken * Chole Bhature ** Butter naan + Garlic naan + Tawa Roti * Ras malai ** (the consistency of ras/milk was almost of kheer and tasted good, but the paneer chamcham inside did not soak any ras and was very hard, there is room for improvement on this Dessert) Complimentary Salad and chutneys **

The meaning of Apna Pind literally means Our Village or Our Motherland. With the patio seating having rope knitted beds and wooden bed boards as tables, the desi music, the lighting, the kites as decor, copper glasses and bottles, a farm tractor in the front yard; and especially the intense nostalgic and aromatic smells of smoked and tempered spices and herbs "Tadka" from their kitchen to the parking lot catches your attention; and reminds you of the roadside Dhabas of India.The servers Jasmeet and Jasmine (if I remember their names correctly) were very welcoming, engaging and bubbly while interacting with us. This is also a plus point and an apnapan factor that you get in small towns or villages of India. Food was served pretty fast. My 6 y/o daughter who has never been to India, but only has the reference via pictures and videos said this definitely feels like an Indian Restaurant Baba! 😄 This place was suggested by a friend of mine, and I will certainly recommend it to others. I will visit them again to try out...

Found and tried this spot Wed eve - near Dixie Rd on Derry at the N/W corner of Pearson airport. We were the only diners at 8pm but by 9pm a number of adult families had found their way in, along with a busy take-out trade orders being picked up. A dozen(?) nicely spaced tables. Atmosphere was fine/comfortable, and the desserts display along the counter area was impressive but the important stuff - the food, was very tasty and plentiful. As it was our first time and the menu is found via QR code, (not my fave) our very polite & friendly server (possibly owner?) offered recommendations which we took. I like my spices mild and the sizzling Chicken Tikka on a bed of cooked onions with Butter naan was delish! My other half likes it hot and he enjoyed the Chicken Vindaloo with Garlic naan. A variety of veg and non-veg items are on offer. The Indian coffee (not spiced) was very hot, flavourful and sweet - perfect as it was a little cool in the restaurant and they did listen and adjust the temp for us. There was constant slightly-too-loud Bhangra music on. A bit of variety would have been nice. And did I mention desserts? The Rasmalai was all gone 😞 but the Gulab Jamuns were hot and good! I mentioned the busy take-out trade... our orders arrived in a very reasonable time but once it got really busy after 9pm, service at our table slowed down. The server was very apologetic but said Wed usually is a slow night. That was fine and we will be back. There is also patio seating but keep in mind it's a busy transport area with trucks n planes. Parking...

It was a horrible experience for us. We ordered chicken legs, as we usually do. Unfortunately, we received undercooked chicken, and I informed the waiter about it. Later, the owner came to our table and, using her hands, separated the chicken pieces and kept them on our plates, saying, "See, it is cooked." How do you expect customers to eat food touched by someone? It was not the first time we had ordered this dish, and we understand the difference between cooked chicken and improperly cooked chicken. I would avoid this restaurant for some time. I have heard many stories about cockroaches as well, which even seem true.

The washrooms are dirty and smelly.

The waiters working there are good and professional. However, it seems the owner (the lady mentioned above) is overwhelmed with running a business in Canada.

Below-average ambiance. Tables are so close to each other that you can smell and see what others are eating at the next table and hear their conversations.

We were visiting this restaurant due to the nearby Indian food option. However, there are many better options now with better hygiene, better taste, and better...